Let the Games Begin
by CuffedBunnies
Summary: A series of connected one shots. Can Castle and Beckett test the boundaries of their new relationship and still keep their secrets under wraps as they take their banter to a whole new level? Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yeah, not mine, but they're so much fun to play with! ;)

Summary: First in the series as Castle and Beckett begin test the boundaries of their new relationship. Kate's first day back at the 12th.

A/N: Many thanks to my buddy, Li. :)

* * *

When Kate takes the coffee from Castle, he can barely hold the smile in as her fingers brush across his. She's always done this, but today, it's like new.

And in a way, it is.

He knows she picked up on his amusement, and gives him her death glare. At least, that's what he calls it. He can't help it; the glare is so hot, makes him want to take her right now, on her desk.

However, they made an agreement - No one can know their secret. So, yeah, jumping her in the middle of the bullpen on her first day back might not be a good idea.

It's kind of like pretending to be a spy, and Castle knows he can do this, or die trying. (Hopefully he won't have to do the latter.)

But teasing her now, knowing there will be some form of payback at the end of the day? Man, it's an awesome feeling, and he can't help himself.

"Sleep well last night, Detective? You look quite refreshed," he comments loudly and waits on her to come up with some sort of reply. He knows exactly how she slept; what position, where he kept finding her hands each time he woke up in the night...

Oh, and this look is priceless.

Kate answers, trying to mask the playful glimmer in her eye, "I slept fine, Castle. I had a little trouble sleeping at first, but when I tried re-reading _Flowers for Your Grave_, it worked perfectly. I was out by page five."

Wow. He didn't expect that sort of reply, and it actually stung a little.

"Really?" he asks, leaning slightly toward her. If he lets it show that her barb hit the mark, he'll lose this battle quick. "If you really wanted a good night's sleep, you could have tried reading _Hell Hath No Fury_. I've heard it'll knock you out by the second page."

"Self-depreciation doesn't become you, Castle." She smiles and leans back in her chair, stretching just right so her shirt tightens across her chest. That's an image he won't be able to get rid of any time soon. Kate's winning this little tiff, and she knows it.

She stopped stretching several seconds ago, and his eyes are still on her chest. Or, well, everywhere but her face, where he really should be paying attention.

"Hey!" she whispers, quietly trying to get his attention, "Quit!"

"Quit what?" he asked, also keeping his voice low, maybe adding that bedroom lilt to it he knows she enjoys so much. "It's not like I haven't always looked at you like this. You're just more aware of it now."

Castle starts to reach toward her, he really doesn't know why, but slams back against his chair when he hears Esposito approach.

"Here's the file you were looking for, Beckett," he says as he hands her the file.

Kate's perfectly composed, yet somehow manages to give Castle another warning glare. "Thanks, Espo. We got anything new?"

"Not at the moment," he answers, the expression on his face is one of suspicion as he glances from her to Castle. "We're waiting on the financials to come in and Ryan's still working on the security footage. He should be finished in about half an hour."

"Great. Let me know what he finds."

"Sure thing," he gives Castle a questioning look, then walks on to his desk.

When his eyes meet Kate's again, he can't help but laugh at the amount of irritation she's directing at him. "What?"

She drags a hand through her hair, and there's a spark of fire in her eyes. "You should really go home before you get us caught!"

"What, and miss this? You trying to keep it together, when you should just act like you always have? I don't think so." He smiles, knowing and loving how much all this means to her, because he completely gets it.

Kate rolls her eyes and places an errant lock of hair over her ear. She starts typing notes into the computer, never looking back at him, "Is this some kind of joke to you? Because, if it is, it's not funny."

He picks up where she's going, "Hey, you know me better than that. I'm just pulling your pigtails. You're the one who insulted my writing. I would never make a joke about something as amazing as what we have together."

He loves how she lifts that one eyebrow and studies him. Castle leans just a fraction closer to her and speaks quietly, "But it is very possible that I do enjoy pushing the limits and find it... very hot... and sexy... when you get angry."

Kate closes in, leaving mere inches between them. She glances at his lips as she whispers in some accent he can't identify because all the blood just rushed south. "And maybe when I tease?"

He forces his mouth to work. "Yeah," his voice cracks, and he clears his throat, "Yeah, especially when you tease."

The air just got thick and he needs to remember how to breathe.

"I should go," Castle jumps to his feet and takes his jacket from the back of his chair, tries not to make it obvious how careful he is to keep it folded over his arm and in front of him. "I... I've got, you know, writing... writing, yeah, I should be writing, and stuff. I should, yeah, I should go."

The smile Kate gives him is pure evil. "Well, if you really think you should," she says, sounding way too innocent to his ears.

Castle nods and makes a quick exit. He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds himself alone on the elevator. They really shouldn't play like this at the precinct, but it's just so much fun...

After a moment, his phone buzzes and he sees she's sent him a text message. He hopes he hasn't left anything there... he really doesn't want to go back into the bullpen today.

He opens the message and smiles.

_Beckett 1, Castle 0_


	2. Chapter 2: Monkey Business

**Disclaimer**: Don't make me laugh... I think Castle's in good hands. Literally. ;)

**Summary**: The words of an unconscious person can be priceless. And then, the games officially begin.

**A/N**: Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews on the first part! I hope you find this one just as amusing! A special thanks to that awesome guy in my life who inspired this.

_This one's for Li - For the laughs we've shared and will continue to share, and for the one that started it all._

* * *

Monkey Business

Kate looked over at her partner, noticing how his eyes were beginning to glaze over. "Castle, why don't you go home?" she suggested, "You're obviously tired, and it's gonna be awhile before we're finished."

He shook his head and failed in his attempt to hide a yawn. "I don't have anything else to do, and besides, there's no one to go home to."

She saw the look he gave her and understood the true meaning to his words. However, with the boys not far away, she didn't dare say anything. "Then why don't you get some coffee? Maybe that will help wake you up. You're definitely not doing me any good. If anything, you're making me more sleepy."

"I'm not-" he tried to stifle another yawn, and she shook her head. "Okay, maybe I am a little tired," he admitted, "Would you like a cup?"

"Yeah, thanks," she said, and smiled.

Castle lightly dragged his fingers across hers as he walked away from her desk, sending a wave of electricity up her arm. She really wish they could come up with something on the case before long, so they could call it a night.

Kate studied the murder board for a while, hoping she'd missed something before, but still found nothing that seemed out of place. She made a few notes on her computer, and decided to re-read several of the witness reports to see if there could possibly be anything she or the guys could have missed. Before long, she realized Castle hadn't yet returned with the coffee.

Slowly, Kate got to her feet and stretched before she walked into the break room. She found the author curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He hadn't even touched the coffee machine.

She looked around to make sure the two were alone, before she ran her fingers through his hair. Castle shifted a little, pressing the side of his face further into the arm he was using for a pillow.

"Monkeys," he mumbled.

Kate stopped what she was doing and bit her lip in an effort to keep from laughing. "What?" she asked, not sure if he was really asleep or not.

"Monkeys."

Castle took a deep breath and shifted again. It was a motion she was familiar with now, and knew he was, indeed, asleep.

She couldn't help herself. She wondered if that was all he would say, or if there was more to it. "What monkeys?"

"They're loose in the bullpen," he sighed, "Taking things. One's on Esposito's head. Gotta get that one before it takes his gun."

It took everything she had left to keep from laughing, but somehow, she held it in. "How many monkeys are there?"

Castle weakly lifted his hand as if he were pointing at something, then counted, "One, two... eleven. Gates just cuffed the one on Espo and put it in the tank. He's safe."

"Espo or the monkey?"

"What...?" Ryan's voice cut through the break room. "You know what, forget I asked, and I'll forget I heard."

Kate turned, not sure what she could say to get out of this one.

Castle shifted again, now on his back. His voice was still heavy in sleep, and maybe a little whiny. "Kate, I'm too tired for another interrogation. You always talk too much."

She felt all the blood rush to her face, and the look Ryan had didn't help much at all. "And that's the awkward moment where stuff is said that you'd rather not hear. He must be having some weird dreams..."

"Yeah," she deadpanned, then laughed, maybe a little too squeaky, but she hoped Ryan would take it as being for the late hour.

He gave her a questioning look, then spoke again, "Anyway, financials finally came through our our vic. Looks like there's a lead we can check out in the morning."

"Sounds great. Let's call it a night then," she said, "We can check the lead in the morning."

Ryan nodded and said, "That's... what I just said, and just so you know, I'm not waking him up."

Kate rolled her eyes and looked back at Castle. "I think I can take care of him."

Oh shit, that came out wrong. She risked a glance at the other detective, who was shaking his head. "Yeah, I bet you can."

She waited until he was gone, then poked Castle's shoulder hard.

"Ow!" He pushed himself up onto his elbows and tried to glare at her while blinking his sleep-glazed eyes, "What was that for?"

She kept her voice low as she fussed, "That was for talking in your sleep!"

His eyes widened, obviously realizing where he was, "What did I say?"

"I don't know exactly what Ryan heard, but we're going to have to do something about your fascination with monkeys."

"What?" Castle rubbed a hand over his face, clearly not comprehending anything she said.

"Do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

He appeared taken back, then suddenly serious. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"No, not really, now that you mention it," she answered, then got back to the subject, "Ryan and Espo found a lead we're going to take up in the morning. It's time to go home."

Castle stood and tried to appear casual as he scanned the room, "My place or yours?" he asked quietly.

"Depends on who gets to the elevator first, without looking suspicious." Kate smiled, and swayed her hips as she walked out of the break room and to her desk. She laughed when she looked back and saw he had barely moved from where she left him.

She guessed that's what broke him out of the daze he was in, because he smirked and made a beeline for the elevator. He had a pretty decent lead on her when she grabbed her purse and walked fast to catch up.

"Hey!" Kate called, hoping he'd hold the door for her, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She could've sworn she heard him laugh as it began to move downward.

Well now, that just won't do.

Kate sprinted for the stairwell, shot through the doors and took the steps two and three at a time, loving the wave of feelings as they surged over her. She couldn't quite give any of them a name, but it felt awesome.

At some point, her phone buzzed, letting her know she'd received a text message. She knew it would be from Castle, so she ignored it. There would be plenty of time later to see what snide remark he had for her.

She made it to the bottom and burst through the door just as Castle had taken a few steps out of the elevator, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

"You're not going to get away that easily," She called as she followed him out of the building, thankfully not sounding as winded as she thought she might. "What was that about, anyway?"

His eyebrow playfully quirked upward and his face was brimming with mischief. "I thought we were still playing..."

"Playing?" she asked, then pulled out her phone and checked the message.

_Castle 1_

_Beckett 1_

She looked back at him, "Keeping score? You really want to keep this up?"

"Yeah, why not?" He gave a playful smirk, "Unless there was something else you were referring to... either way, it'll be fun."

Kate smacked his shoulder, "Calm down, Writerboy. I think I've had enough excitement for one day. Besides, I'd wipe the floor with you, and I don't think your ego could handle that."

Castle stopped and moved in front of her, not touching, but very much in her personal space. Not that she really minded.

"We'll see who will wipe the floor with whom, and how," his voice was a low rumble, sending all sorts of vibes through her skin. "And if I win, you have to let me drive."

"You're still on about that?" she asked as he turned and attempted to hail a taxi as it drove past. Kate whistled and waved, and a second cab passed Castle and stopped in front of her.

"Wanna ride?" she called, trying not to look too amused, "I could be convinced to share a cab with my partner."

"Sure," his lips pressed into a firm line, but she could see the humor glittering in his eyes as he answered.

Castle jogged to the cab and slipped in beside her. Kate gave the driver his address and then smiled as she gave Rick's thigh a squeeze. "If I win, you have to help with the paperwork for a month."

He seemed to think about this for a few, then breathed out a lungful of air. "Fine. Let the games begin."

And so very slowly, he leaned toward her and breathed into her ear, "I just hope you understand what you're getting in to."

She dragged her gaze from his lips to his eyes, loving how her reaction caught him off-guard. "Oh, I do, Castle. After four years of watching the field, I think I know how this game of yours works."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine, and I'm just fine with that.

**Summary:** More research for Castle...

**A/N: ** Thank you so much, again, for the great reviews! I've actually held on to this one for a while, before I realized it would be an awesome addition to this series. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Kate could tell Rick was getting restless. For the past hour, he'd been shifting around in his chair almost non-stop. "If you want something to do, I've got a stack of papers right here," she suggested.

He gave her a look like she'd gone crazy. "No thank you. Actually, I think I may go ahead and leave for the day."

"It's just paperwork, Castle. Why don't you hang around for once?" Kate teased, knowing he wouldn't stay.

"I'm sorry, Detective, I've got a bit of research to do for the next installment of Nikki, so thanks, but I have my own bit of paperwork to do." He smiled, taking her hand in his and shaking it as he mouthed, 'later.'

"You could've just said 'no,'" she smirked, "Less wordy."

Castle walked toward the elevator, and quipped over his shoulder, "But I'm a wordsmith!"

The doors closed on him, and Kate rolled her eyes. Of course he'd plan it so it appeared he got the last word. She went back to work, blowing a lungful of frustrated air out as she stared at the stack of papers she still had to go through. She'd make sure he got his payback tonight.

And with that thought in mind, she smiled and got back to work.

* * *

Several hours later, Kate had managed to get a little over halfway through the papers when there was a call in. She wrote down the details on her pad and hung up.

She tried calling Castle, but didn't get an answer. He was probably deep into writing, so she let it go.

"Espo, Ryan!" The guys looked up and she said, "We've got a body drop at Central Park. And a person tied up."

"We're right behind you," said Ryan as he got his things together. "Castle gonna meet us there?"

"He's not answering; said he needed to write when he left." Kate quirked her eyebrow up, "What, you think we can't crack this case without him?"

"I didn't say that!" Ryan's eyes widened a little, "I was just asking... you know he'd love something like this."

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "I know. To bad he's gonna miss out."

Kate took the elevator to the lobby, then to the parking garage. She tried calling Castle again, but there was still no answer.

It wasn't long before she got to the park and found the guy who'd made the call. She waved at him and introduced herself, "I'm Detective Kate Beckett."

"Hi, I'm Johnny Smith," he said, almost looking as if he were a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "I'm the guy that called this in."

"I kinda gathered," she said, and took out her notebook, "Can you tell me what you found?"

"Yeah, see, I'm with my family, and we were enjoying the day at the park. I saw these two guys go down this trail, one looked real suspicious, and the other had a rope. I didn't think about it at first, but about twenty minutes later, the suspicious guy came out alone." He shook his head, and Kate wished he would just get to the point. "I thought I should check it out, so I went down the trail and found the other dude tied up and a half-buried body close by."

"Sir, did the man give you a name?" she asked.

"No ma'am," he answered, "But he looks very familiar... I can't seem to put a finger on why."

"He could be a writer," Esposito interrupted, smiling as he pointed toward a boulder about thirty yards down the trail.

Castle was there, leaned against the boulder, only in a shirt and his boxers, tied up.

"Castle - What?" Kate asked, then quickly composed herself as she turned back to Johnny, "Excuse me sir, one moment."

"You might want this," Espo said as he handed her a pocket knife. She nodded her thanks and took it from him.

She approached Castle, her heart racing, wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into this time. She looked around, making sure the others weren't close by, "Are you hurt? How did this happen?" she asked.

He sighed heavily and she thought it was as if he wished he could sink into the ground. "If that man had just minded his own business and walked away, this would never have happened."

Kate knelt down by Castle, "What do you mean?"

He didn't answer, and refused to make eye-contact. It was unsettling, how he was acting. "Answer my question, Castle! Who did this to you?" she demanded, and unfolded the pocket knife. "Whoever tied you up did a good job," she commented as she cut through the ropes.

"It was Alexis."

Kate stopped and stared at him, not wanting to believe the words that just fell from his mouth. "Alexis? really? Are you serious?"

"Yes," he whispered and tried to hush her, "Please, not so loud. I was... it was research..."

"By a dead body?" She helped him out of the ropes and Castle rubbed his wrists, wincing.

"Yes-NO!" he corrected. "I don't know anything about the dead body. I had Alexis tie me up out here, like the time I had her to duct tape me to a chair..."

She could hardly believe her ears. "You've had your daughter duct tape you into a chair?"

"Would you let me finish?" he asked, exasperated.

"I'm not sure how much more I can take, Castle. I thought I knew you better than this..." said Kate. It was becoming difficult to keep her voice down, but somehow, she managed. "Do you do crazy stuff like this often?"

"No," he admitted, looking very ashamed of himself. "Not very often, but when you're a writer, it's good to experience things for yourself so it's more believable to the reader."

"That opens a whole new can of worms, you know," she said, "now tell me what happened, and if you saw anyone suspicious in the area."

"Oh, I did see someone who appeared suspicious, but they weren't."

"What?" She gave him a look as if he had just sprouted and second and third head. His story was getting stranger and stranger. "What kind of an answer is that?"

"Alexis," he explained, "She didn't want to be recognized while she was with me, so she had on a jacket over a black hoodie and a pair of sunglasses on. I'm sure she's the one who caught my friend's attention."

Kate could hardly decide whether to laugh at the situation or slap him for doing something so stupid. So she just smiled and kept it in.

Castle shrugged, "Laugh if you want, but I was completely and totally unaware of the body until I was almost out of the ropes and fell on it."

She could no longer contain her laughter. "You fell on the corpse?"

"Shhhhh!" he hissed, "Not completely, it was just an arm at the time. Come on, Kate, this is bad enough, please cut me a little slack."

"You know Lanie will be able to tell that, right?"

This time, it was Castle who rolled his eyes, "Yes, I do, and I will be happy to tell her that's what happened."

"All kidding aside, why did you come all the way out here, in your underwear, to do... research..." she stopped to regain her composure, "and you didn't take your phone with you? That doesn't make any sense."

"I didn't want to cheat, and I didn't come out here in my underwear." The look in his eyes almost killed her, some weird mixture of embarrassment and innocence. "Obviously, I stripped before Alexis tied me up. And besides, do real kidnappers leave phones conveniently for their victims to access?"

"No, I guess not," she admitted. He had a good point, but still...

"And there is my case and point. Someone, please give the lady a year's supply of Rice-a-Roni, or something," he huffed.

She laughed again, then helped Rick to his feet. "Unfortunately, Castle, I still have to take you in. You were found right beside the body in the forest, and there were no witnesses to what happened here."

"I told you Alexis is the one who tied me up!"

"I know, and we'll have to bring her in as well."

"Can you at least call her first? She'll never forgive me if one of your men goes in and pulls her out of whatever kind of outing she's on." He gasped, "And if she's with Mother, I'll never hear the end of it."

"All right, Castle, I'll call her. Quit freaking out." The poor guy was really getting worked up over all this.

"Would you freak out if you found yourself in the woods tied up next to a partially buried dead body?" he asked, watching her closely, "You would, wouldn't you?"

Kate shook her head, "First of all, I wouldn't have my daughter tie me up in the woods."

"You forgot the body was partially buried. Partially buried! If either Alexis or I would have seen the thing, I wouldn't be here either. I'd be Joe Bob over there, making the 911 phone call!"

"Calm down, Castle!" Kate warned, "You're beginning to get out of hand."

"All right, all right," he conceded, "I'll calm down. Just remember what I've been through today."

"I know, it's really been rough, hasn't it?" She helped him up and guided him through the woods to her car and opened the door to the backseat. "Get in, Nature Boy."

"Hey, why don't I get to ride in the front?"

"Partners do, murder suspects don't." She turned him around and held the cuffs in front of him.

"But you know I didn't do it!" he complained.

"Actually," she smiled, and loved watching him squirm. "No, I don't. I just know you were conveniently found in the same area as a dead body." She leaned in close to him and deadpanned, "Now, get in the car, or I'll make you get in."

Castle looked like he might be frightened, then flopped into the back of the cruiser and stared out the opposite window. "You are having entirely too much fun out of this."

Kate got in the driver's seat and buckled her seat belt. "Maybe. And I think you just earned another point. That has to be the craziest stunt you've played yet."

She heard him huff out a frustrated breath, then maybe a light chuckle. "Yeah, it was pretty good wasn't it? What's the score?"

"You're ahead. Two points to my one, but don't let that go to your head." She watched him through the rear view mirror, and saw his eyes regain a little of the twinkle in them. "I'm still gonna win."

"We'll have to see about that. I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."

Kate smiled as she began the drive back to the precinct. She was sure what he said was true, but he still had no idea what he was up against.


End file.
